The busy ATP and WTA seasons continue this week, with withdrawals remaining a common theme across both.
Recently on the WTA Tour, Dubai witnessed several withdrawals before the tournament started, followed by many early retirements and walkovers during the event.
The WTA 1000 tournament arrived immediately after its Qatar counterpart in the schedule, with the women’s calendar having now moved on to the Sunshine Swing.
Many withdrawals are unavoidable, particularly when it comes to injuries, but champions withdrawing from their next tournaments is a very common theme that isn’t going away.
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ATP and WTA tournaments suffer blows with champions withdrawing
The 2026 season has really only just started, but many ATP and WTA tournaments have already been dealt big blows by several star names deciding against competing because of lengthy runs just before.
A prime example is Carlos Alcaraz, who went the distance at the Australian Open, and immediately decided to withdraw from the Rotterdam Open.
More recently, Sebastian Korda withdrew from Acapulco after clinching the Delray Beach Open title, while Karolina Muchova pulled out of Dubai after lifting the Qatar trophy.
Korda’s fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Jessica Pegula have made similar decisions this season, although both cited injury as the reason for their withdrawals.
Shelton withdrew from Acapulco after winning the Dallas Open, while Pegula has just decided to skip the ATX Open after her triumph in Dubai.
Importantly, not only are the subsequent ATP and WTA tournaments being negatively impacted, but the fans hoping to see the star names in action are also suffering.
However, given the very busy and demanding schedule, players taking the time to recover following a title-winning event is a trend that doesn’t look like stopping any time soon.
Why champion withdrawals can be good for tennis
While champion withdrawals are a blow for the tournaments and the fans, such decisions are sensible for the players involved.
Alcaraz won the Qatar Open following his downtime after the Australian Open, taking great advantage of his period of rest and recovery.
Moreover, while the Rotterdam Open and its fans clearly missed the defending champion, his absence paved the way for a new winner.
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And fittingly, after finishing as runner-up in both 2025 and 2024, Australian ace Alex de Minaur won the Rotterdam title.
His success was arguably helped by the absence of Alcaraz, with the ATP and WTA undoubtedly maintaining their entertainment value when different winners emerge.
Similarly, Pegula won the ATX Open in Austin last year, but her current absence opens the door for a new champion.
A new and improved schedule could be the solution to the ongoing problem with tournament winners, but fixing the calendar has proved a very tricky challenge thus far.
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